Press Release

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2024

 

University of Tennessee, Knoxville Receives the CUPA-HR HR Innovation Award

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville has received the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) 2024 HR Innovation Award for its Career Development unit.

The HR Innovation Award recognizes innovative thinking in higher education HR, especially models that can be adapted for use on other campuses. CUPA-HR is pleased to make a $5,000 contribution to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in recognition of the award.

After reviewing findings from employee satisfaction surveys and exit interviews that indicated staff were seeking greater institutional support for their career development, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s HR department launched an innovative new Career Development unit in 2022 with the goal of building, growing and sustaining the most comprehensive career development program in higher education. Since the program launched, the unit’s two career development coaches, Nancy Burkett and Cearra Sears, have provided coaching for over 200 staff members and 76 sessions and events on a variety of career development topics serving over 1400 staff. Additionally, in the fall of 2023, the unit created the Design Your Life Professional Fellowship, a 12-week cohort program that provides experiential learning opportunities by allowing participants to spend several hours each week working on projects in different areas of the university. The career development unit has seen enormous success in the 19 months since its creation:

  • 20% of staff who received career coaching advanced into new roles within six months of attending coaching sessions.
  • 95% of staff reported that coaching exceeded their expectations and that the experience increased confidence, validation, affirmation, and hope as a result of coaching.
  • 80% said the sessions exceeded their expectations.
  • Of the 10 fall 2023 Design Your Life Professional Fellowship cohort members, two advanced into new roles at the university after the fellowship.
  • Four cohort participants were invited by their host departments to extend their fellowships into the spring semester.

For the innovative ways the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is working to support staff career development, CUPA-HR is pleased to award the institution the HR Innovation Award.

 

About CUPA-HR

CUPA-HR is higher ed HR. We serve higher education by providing the knowledge, resources, advocacy and connections to achieve organizational and workforce excellence. Serving more than 36,000 HR professionals and other campus leaders at nearly 2,000 member institutions and organizations around the country and abroad, the association offers learning and professional development programs, higher education salary, benefits and demographic data, extensive online resources and just-in-time regulatory and legislative information.

 

Contact Information
Katie Edmiston
Communications Manager – Communications and Marketing
[email protected]